Steve Ellner's Blog on Venezuela, Latin America and Beyond

The centralization of ownership of the private media in the United States and elsewhere has become increasingly pronounced, at the same time that its reporting has become increasingly one-sided and monolithic. My blog seeks to expose this lack of objectivity and present alternative ideas that point in the direction of much-needed fundamental change.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

COLIN KAEPERNICK’S STAND ON RACISM (no pun intended)

ALL COLIN KAEPERNICK DID WAS
MAKE A STATEMENT. Now he’s a traitor, professional football executives hate him,
and his football career is all but over. What does this say about freedom of speech in this
country?

OBVIOUSLY BLACK LIVES MATTER. Thanks to Colin Kaepernick, and now several other professional football players who have joined his protest, this issue is reaching more people than otherwise would have been the case. If the U.S. judicial system functioned properly, this kind of protest would be unnecessary. But too many killers (both policemen and non-policemen – as in the case of George Zimmerman, who shot Trayvon Martin) have been let off the hook.

Friday, August 12, 2016

HILLARY CLINTON’S INCESTUOUS RELATIONS WITH PRIVATE INTEREST GROUPS

Pulitzer Prize
winning journalist James Grimaldi of the Wall Street Journal documents how the
Clinton Foundation facilitated favors for its donors, specifically foreign ones,
and Saudis in particular, while Hillary was Secretary of State. In return Bill
Clinton got a 1.5 million dollar speaking contract from USB bank, among other
returned favors. Grimaldi’s facts come from recently-released State Department emails.
Are these the people you want back in the White House? I certainly prefer her over
Trump, but only a big vote for Jill Stein may convince the Democrats to keep to
their campaign pledges. http://www.democracynow.org/2016/8/12/did_companies_countries_buy_state_dept

Saturday, August 6, 2016

REASONS TO VOTE FOR JILL STEIN AND NOT HILLARY

DONALD TRUMP’S CHANCES OF WINNING IN NOVEMBER ARE ONLY
22%, ACCORDING TO BETFAIR ODDS. THAT’S GOOD REASON TO DROP THE ‘BETTER OF TWO EVILS’
TACTIC.

Betfair is the most prominent
betting index for sports, elections and the like. According to Betfair, Clinton
is virtually assured of becoming the next U.S. president. If that’s the case, then
why not vote for someone whose positions you really support and a person who you
can respect (unlike Hillary)? I’m referring to Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate.

There’s an additional reason
not to vote for Hillary. Even though most people in the U.S. don’t recognize it,
the most important political issue is that of foreign intervention. From a moral
viewpoint, U.S. military intervention and support for military intervention (in
the case of Saudi Arabia’s bombing spree) is much more important than domestic issues
having to do with health and education. Just think of the millions of refugees in
countries like Syria and Libya, the victim of the U.S. policy (shaped in part by
Secretary of State Clinton) of supporting the overthrow of Gaddafi and Assad, thus
opening the door for ISIS. And think of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (supported
by Senator Clinton), three times longer than our involvement in World War II. Hillary
Clinton has lent her support to all these erroneous actions, along with the use
of drones.

And if you are still more concerned
with what happens in the U.S. than in the rest of the world, just think of the
drain of permanent war on the U.S. budget, think of the lives of U.S. soldiers who
have been killed, and the fact that the contradictions come home to roost: the recent
murders of policemen in Dallas and Baton Rouge were committed by war veterans. Pentagon
strategists say that the fight will go on for 50 or 60 years, that is “The World
is a Battlefield.” With Hillary in the White House will the scenario be altered
at all? All these are powerful reasons to vote for Jill Stein.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

FOREIGN INTERVENTION IN INTERNAL POLITICS: IS IT JUSTIFIABLE?

A FOREIGN NATION’S INTERVENTION IN
U.S. POLITICS! WHAT ABOUT U.S. INTERVENTION IN A FOREIGN NATION'S POLITICS?

The hypothetical notion that the
Russians hacked into the Democratic National Committee’s computer in order to
favor Donald Trump has been plastered all over the corporate media. Everybody
across the political spectrum repudiates any kind of foreign intervention in
U.S. politics. But does Washington hesitate in doing the same on a regular
basis? The latest example is Secretary of State Kerry lecturing Venezuela about
its erroneous economic policies while the White House insists on the liberation
of political prisoners who, according to the Venezuelan government, promoted widespread
violence. And that's not to even mention all the tax
dollars funneled into opposition politics through the National Endowment for
Democracy, USAID, etc.Does anybody in the corporate media reflect
on these doublé standards?

About Me

Steve Ellner has taught economic history at the Universidad de Oriente in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela since 1977. He is the author of numerous books and journal and magazine articles on Venezuela history and politics. He frequently lectures on Venezuela and Latin American political developments in the U.S. and elsewhere. He received his Ph.D. in Latin American history at the University of New Mexico in 1980.